New From SilencerCo: Smaller, Quieter Omega 7.62mm Silencer

In the world of silencers, there are three qualities that are most highly prized: quietude, shortness, and light weight. Normally you can only get two of those qualities in the same object, but SilencerCo is working on bundling the trifecta of awesomeness. Their latest can, the Omega not only ticks all of those boxes, but it also offers a strong enough core to withstand .300 magnum cartridges as well as 5.56 NATO and 300 BLK. The best part: you can swap the mounting option to fit whatever you have. Direct thread for different threads? ASR fast-attach system? Whatever you want, they got it. And I like it. All for $1,100 MSRP . . .

Combining the best features from the Harvester, Saker and Specwar rifle series – all leaders in their respective classes – SilencerCo has built a true multipurpose product that excels in any scenario.

“The fact that we have the best performing and selling trio of .30 caliber silencers on the market doesn’t mean we stop innovating,” states SilencerCo CEO Joshua Waldron. “We’re constantly looking for ways to improve upon our successes, and 2015 will be no exception.”

The Omega is comprised of titanium, tool-grade stainless steel and Stellite, keeping its weight at 14 ounces, while providing strength sufficient for full auto applications. Length is only 7 inches using a direct thread mount, or 7 ¾ inches with the Active Spring Retention (ASR) quick-detach mount – both included with each purchase. Sound is minimized to an industry-leading 133 decibels on a .308 platform. In addition, a removable Anchor Brake provides significant recoil reduction for larger calibers.

Available immediately, the Omega will start shipping to distributors in January 2015. For more information, visit: http://www.silencerco.com/omega. To find a SilencerCo dealer near you, visit http://www.silencerco.com/locate-dealer.

Quick attach? We’ve been over this…Unless you’re operating way too operationally listen to Jason and Nick and go direct thread. All mine are threaded and I’ve never once missed the little ratcheting device or the ugly muzzle attachments.

I like quick-attach because I don’t need to deal with re-installing a FH or brake every time I move my suppressor around. It also puts less wear on the barrel threads, which is, in theory, a good thing.

If you’re going to leave a suppressor on a single gun 99% of the time, I agree that direct thread is probably the more sensible option.

133db is not quiet by any stretch of the imagination! 89db is the OSHA threshold for requiring hearing protection and db is not a linear scale; it is exponential! I have a suppressor on a PTR-91 (.308) and can shoot it in the woods without hearing protection. It is loud, but not 133db loud. I need to find a thread adapter to mount it on my .300 Blackout. Anyone know a source?

I agree, and in addition wonder what reduction that indicates, I am accustomed to seeing dB of attenuation rather than remaining dB. Still, 14 oz and .300 magnum capability is impressive, think I need to see more!

dB is a relative scale, so by definition it needs a reference value to have any meaning. 99% of the time you see a dB value assigned to a noise as as absolute value (ie, not X dB of attenuation or amplificaiton) it means dBA (sometimes written dB-A). The A-weighting curve is one designed to mimic the frequency-depending equal loudness response of the human ear. It is a scale whose reference (0 dB) value is the quietest sound perceivable to a human ear. So a 133 dB-A value is the same as saying a sound pressure level at +133 dB of the quietest sound you can detect. In actuality, it is a heritage weighting curve that has been adopted for use outside its intended application (very low-level sounds), so its accuracy as far as modeling human hearing is not very high, and this is known. But its a standard, and its established, and its useful for comparison purposes so it sticks around.

I believe you’re talking apples and oranges regarding OSHA. If I remember correctly, there is a difference between “impulse” db and “constant” db. For example, you can tolerate 133db just fine from a rifle shot. But you wouldn’t want to go to a rock concert at 133db for 2hrs. OSHA is probably based on “long term” or “during work” average sound levels. Those little angels at OSHA don’t want you working around those evil machines banging around at 133db all day. Incidentally, if you want to read about an interesting effect of db, research the effect of pitch on db. I seem to remember from my engineering class days 20 years ago something about 80db of a fixed, pure tone doesn’t sound nearly as loud as a collection of tones (speech, music, static, etc). So a single frequency at, say 4000Hz sounds quieter than some day care center with a bunch of urchins creating a 80db sound. And I think for normalizing db in audio testing (like home theater or whatever), they measure from a fixed distance (commonly 1m). So you’ll see “80db @ 1m”. And, again, if I’m not mistaken, decibels (as the “deci” name implies) doubles loudness with an increase of 10 in db (logarithmic). So 90db is twice as loud as 80db. For quiet stuff, that’s no biggie. It like saying the guy with $2 is twice as rich as the guy with $1. And the guy with $4 is twice as rich again…even if they’re all broke.

Incidentally, I did find this:

Recent NIOSH studies of sound levels from weapons fires have shown that they may range from a low of 144 dB SPL for small caliber weapons such as a 0.22 caliber rifle to as high as a 172 dB SPL for a 0.357 caliber revolver. Double ear protection is recommended for shooters, combining soft, insertable ear plugs and external ear muffs (or buy a suppressor…edited by me)

And also found something about the OSHA standard that does show how long you’re “allowed” to be exposed to various db during the day: 8hrs for 90db. 1hr for 105db.

Pain begins at 125db
Shotgun blast: 165db
Death of hearing tissue: 180db
Loudest sound possible: 194db (probably something about the compressibility of the air I’m guessing)

I’d love to see a pistol-caliber suppressor built on the same design pattern, preferably with support for .44mag and other big bore calibers. I understand that it would probably be rifle/fixed-barrel only, but I really like what Silencerco did with this suppressor.

Ugggh, love SilencerCo. hate those goofy looking brakes on the end of the cans. It looks cheap, and looks like an afterthought that they just stuck on there, give me 2 more baffles or just a shorter can and maybe one of those diffuser endcaps like Liberty has on their cans. SilencerCo makes some of arguably the best cans in the market right now, but that brake (for me) looks stupid.

Nice, in that case (if true) this has gone near the top of my wishlist. SilencerCo is storming the market right now. My all time fav was the Specwar but while the 556 version is awesome length and weight the 762 is enormous, but with an ASR mount this is basically a shortened “K” version of the Specwar 762 with an option for direct thread, really cool stuff…. if you can take that brake off 🙂

I don’t have any experience with silencers. With that said, I am just wondering why they are so pricey. I understand that alot of R&D goes into these but the materials and machining do not seem to be that complicated. Am I missing something? I think I would rather have a new gun (or two) for the price of this plus a stamp. I am honestly wondering so please no snark.

IANAE (economist) but I would imagine it is a sales volume thing. If you sell a metric buttload of product, you can recoup R&D investment quicker even with a lower selling price. With “boutique” items like suppressors, you must mark them up that much higher due to lower sales volume. Of course, I could be dead wrong.

That was the only thing I could come up with also. I mean these things are not that mechanically complicated. But I guess if they can turn a profit selling them this high, more power to them. I would just like to get in on the fun, but at that price I just can’t justify it.

Don’t forget the tax for the privilege just to sell or manufacture the product. Regardless of rather you sell one or 100 you still have to pay the $1000.00 for the privilege every year. Then add in the 10% tax on the item to the FED due on your sale price. That doesn’t include the extra record keeping and paperwork cost. Imagine the same tax on your car muffler.

Yep. It’s like Ferraris. R&D still costs a pretty penny but when you have low volume you have to make it up on high price. Especially if you’re innovating rather than copying.

Add to that 11% excise tax, $2250 minimum ITAR fee per year (biggest con out there) divided over the products you sell, tooling, manufacturing, labor, insurance (not sure how high it would be on suppressor manufacturing), rent, lights, etc. Oh, and then the profit the owner needs to make to justify quitting his job in the oil field or whatever he was doing before.

And, like with pharmaceuticals, you’re also paying for all the failed versions. If a product doesn’t move, another product’s margins have to go to pay for the losses in that other line.

Well, this one claims titanium parts, and that ain’t cheap to buy or to tool, may explain why its 30% higher than others, but I can’t explain the others. I expect if laws were changed so everybody could buy one tomorrow, the price would plummet within a month or two.

“Demand” is what keeps the price so high. If one could walk into Cabela’s, and walk out with a suppressor in a few minutes, the cost would be considerably less. Sure, they are leaping off the shelves now, but get em off The NFA, and they would be flying off.

$1,100?
Something tells me that something is very wrong.
So with barrels, rifling, buffer tubes, sites, gas blocks, triggers, charging handles, receivers, uppers, lowers, bolt assemblies, firing pins, locking lugs, sprocket and springs, all these complicated parts assembled into an AR-15, and it cost (higher end) $1,100.
Take a tube, stuff it with a few non-moving parts, weld threads on the end of it, call it a suppressor and it cost
$1,100.
Not one blame on the manufacturer.
If laws were different, my XD probably would have had a nice black tube in the case thrown in along with the plastic holster, loader, and mag pouch.

I wonder how this stacks up to the Saker 762 I’ve been waiting on for the past 5 months or so. Is this how NFA works? By the time you actually take possession of what you bought, somebody comes out with something better?

its not like you are buying a new computer/smartphone, “better” in terms of silencers is a relative term. Is this can better than a Saker? Not really, so it adds 300WM and a better direct thread module and is a little bit lighter/shorter. Will it make a huge difference? No! Will it even make a small difference? Probably not.

Now if something came out tomorrow that offered 10db more suppression, weighed half as much, and was compatible all existing QD mounts as well as direct thread, then yeah, that would be quantifiably “better” than anything on the market, but everything else is just different shades of the same color, any self respecting rifle can should get 308 and 556 hearing safe.

You are going to (or at least should think about it this way) own your silencer for the rest of your life, when you add up the cost of forming a Trust, Tax Stamp, buying the thing etc you are near 1500-2000 depending on which can you bought. Buy yourself some Saker mounts for any gun you own that will fit the suppressor you bought and get shooting.

Real close to the time I took possession of my can with the 51T mount (51 teeth) the, what, 92T came out, insuring a tighter fit. So, YES! Still, If I could have taken possession on the day I bought it, the situation a year later would have remained unchanged. Biggest argument against the wait is that it serves no legitimate purpose, and prolongs the excuse for ATF. Making up other complaints is spinning your wheels.

I’ve asked this elsewhere and gotten no good response; why would I want a muzzle brake on the end of my suppressor? It makes the suppressor louder (at least to the shooter and the people near him/her) and the silencer already reduces the recoil, so what is the point, exactly?

Think about it this way, that blast is already coming out the end of the can anyway. By diffusing it to the sides it might be louder to people standing besides it, but it will be quieter down range with likely some less first round flash visible from the front.

I’m a durability and performance guy. Don’t care about titanium and the weight it saves. Worried about the firing schedule on any can made even partially of titanium. Does that mean I’ll never buy an Omega? My cursor is hovering over it now at silencershop!